Buckeyes Begin Conference Play At No. 2 Maryland

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team is set to start out the Big Ten season against the defending conference champion, No. 2 Maryland, at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Md. First draw is set for noon E.T., and the game will be broadcast on BTN Plus.

LAST TIME OUT
• Ohio State dropped only its second game of the season, falling to UMass in a tight match-up, 15-14, on Monday, March 11 in DeLand, Fla.
• Down 14-9 in the second half, the Buckeyes went on a 5-1 scoring run to come within a goal of the Minutewomen with 42 seconds left in the contest.
• Senior Baley Parrott scored three goals in a span of just over three minutes to help the Buckeyes make an impressive rally.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
• This week, Ohio State appeared in USLacrosse Magazine’s Division I Rankings for the second week by receiving votes in the poll. OSU was last ranked in the Top 20 during the 2016 season.

TEAM LEADERS
• Ohio State currently leads the conference in ground balls, averaging 25.3 per game, and in caused turnovers, with an average of 11.9. Nationally, the team ranks fourth in ground balls per game and 12th in caused turnovers per game.
• Baley Parrott is tied for first in the Big Ten in goals per game, posting an average of 3.25. Her shot percentage of .650 is ninth in the NCAA.
• Liza Hernandez is first overall in the conference in assist per game at 1.88, and tied for first in points per game with 4.88. Hernandez is seventh in the nation in points with her 39.
• Nationally, Jill Rizzo is first in overall saves at 93 and second in groundballs per game at 4.38. Rizzo also leads the Big Ten in saves per game, posting an average of 11.63, and is first in the B1G in groundballs. Her save percentage of .525 is 10th in the NCAA.

HISTORY WITH THE TERRAPINS
• Maryland and Ohio State meet for the 15th time in program history. The Terrapins lead the series, 12-2.
• The teams met on April 15, 2018 in Columbus. The No. 2-ranked Terrapins defeated the Buckeyes, 20-5.
• Ohio State head coach Alexis Venechanos won two National Championships as a goalie on the Maryland team from 2000 to 2003. In her senior year, Venechanos led the team to the NCAA Semifinals and was named National Goalie of the Year.

SCOUTING MARYLAND
• The No. 2-ranked Terrapins are 7-0 so far this season, most recently defeating No. 8 Penn, 14-8, on Wednesday, March 13. Maryland also has ranked wins over Florida, North Carolina and Syracuse.
• Senior midfielder Jen Giles leads the team in scoring with 20 goals and eight assists.
• Junior attacker Kali Hartshorn is excellent on the draw for the Terps, notching 34 this season for second in the conference.
• Senior Megan Taylor leads the team in the cage, ranking No. 2 in the NCAA with a save percentage of .556.
• Cathy Reese began her tenure as the Maryland head coach in 2007 and has led the team to four National Championships and 19 Conference Championships.

UP NEXT
• Ohio State hosts Michigan on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The game will be on the Big Ten Network.